Sometimes in life you have to get a little lost before you are truly able to find your way.

Posts tagged ‘Christian’

Back in 2012 one of my best friends and I decided that 2013 was going to be our year. The previous few had pretty much sucked. Not that there weren’t good times or things to be thankful for, but we’d both been through a lot and we were really looking forward to a fabulous 2013. You know what they say about the best laid plans… Needless to say, 2013 didn’t turn out to be THE year. For either of us. Personally, I dealt with 4 surgeries, a failed business, a failed suicide attempt and a very tumultuous relationship. I wasn’t sorry to see it go. 2014, unfortunately, didn’t prove to be a whole lot better. Well – there was no suicide attempt so I guess that’s a pretty marked improvement lol.

Looking back over the last several years – I realize that I haven’t really had a life of my own. I really haven’t had much of a life. I have so much to be grateful for – my amazing family and friends and their seemingly endless support and encouragement. But it’s time for a change. Time to really start living.

I sit here, the night before New Year’s Eve 2014, and I AM READY. I’m ready for a lot of changes. I leave tomorrow to move 3000 miles from the comfort and support of my family back to Sacramento, back to an amazing group of friends whom I have missed SO much in the 11 years since I left CA. I have plans. Big plans. Maybe not in the same way that healthy people have big plans, but plenty for me. That’s the thing though, isn’t it? It’s not about how our lives measure up to others. It’s not about how much money we make (if any) compared to anyone else; it’s not about how nice our home is or what kinds of vacations we take or our job status – if any. It’s about setting goals for ourselves. Things we can actually achieve – or have a shot at. Even if it’s a long one. It’s about challenging ourselves. Some people are determined to get that big promotion this year. And that’s great. I am determined to find SOMETHING that I can do part time. And that’s enough for me. In fact, no, it’s not just enough – it’s HUGE. If I could go back to work in any capacity at any level – it would do more for my state of mind, my quality of life and my health and happiness than someone else’s huge promotion. It seems like a small thing to most – but to me it would mean a world of difference.

I have lots of goals like that. No need to bore you with them all here. The point is that January 1 isn’t just a time for resolutions you have little to no intention of keeping. It’s about reflecting on where you’ve been, how your life is going and what YOU can do to improve it. And to hell with the comparisons to everyone else. So get out there – set your goals – and go after them with all you’ve got. I might not have control over my migraines, but I have control over more than I have allowed myself to believe in a very long time. And this year I intend to take back the reins of my life. One way or another – this year will be a better year.

There were several things I was choosing from to write about today. But then I got a forward from someone I love dearly, but disagree with on several issues. This one in particular started out with a statement on the Pledge of Allegiance. Then it went all the way to asking whether the U.S. is “ours” (meaning the Christians’) or the Muslims’. I’d like to tease apart some of the points made because much of what was in this forward is well-worth discussing.

I know the feelings about this issue are sensitive and I mean no disrespect with those of you with whom I do not agree.

To start with, here is the picture which, I presume, was the original forward:

If you take this all by itself, I would have a few reactions. Yes, it is in fact Kevin’s right not to stand for the pledge. That being said, we owe an incredible debt to every single soldier and their families for the sacrifices they have made to protect our freedoms and our rights. But do I agree with with the tactic of trying to guilt a child, or anyone, for that matter, into standing for the pledge? Absolutely not. We don’t know and should never presume to know the reasons why Kevin or anyone else is exercising this right. Sure, Kevin might be a disrespectful, ungrateful, lazy kid. On the other hand, Kevin might be someone who has carefully thought about this choice. He might be someone who does not feel comfortable expressing his patriotism through means that involve a pledge that talks about God. Kevin may have made his own pledge that doesn’t involve God and says it everyday and plans to enlist in the armed forces to defend this country…but we don’t know any of that, do we? And yet so many people find it easy to attack anyone who doesn’t stand for the pledge, or support having references to God on our currency. I will come back to a few of these points, but I want to move on the rest of the forward.

Here is the text that followed this picture:

Isn’t life strange? I never met one Veteran who enlisted to
Fight for Socialism

86% will send this on.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG,
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ,
AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT
STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD,
INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND
JUSTICE FOR ALL!

If Muslims can pray on Madison Avenue, why are Christians
banned from praying in public and erecting religious displays
on their holy days?

Tell me again, whose country is this? Ours or the Muslims?

I was asked to send this on if I agree, or delete if I don’t. It is
said that 86% of Americans believe in God.

Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is
such a problem in having ‘In God We Trust’ on our money and
having ‘God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I believe it’s time we stand up for what we believe!

Ok, let me take this one section at a time. First of all, if you’re meeting U.S. Veterans, no, you certainly will not find any that have enlisted to fight for Socialism as we are not a socialist nation and therefore have never battled for it. Perhaps if you chatted with a few veterans in a socialist nation you might have better luck.

86% will send this on. Well, OK, if you say so.

So if Muslims can pray on Madison Ave, why can’t Christians pray in public? Well, it’s not really true that they can’t. If anyone sits at their desk at lunch and says a prayer before they eat, I doubt anyone would have a problem with that. (without disturbing others or forcing others to listen…I’ve been in the company of many Muslims at prayer time and it is a quiet ritual…never bothered me any). If you want to sit out in a park with your church’s youth group and discuss Sunday’s sermon, don’t think anyone is going to bother you. We do, however, have separation of CHURCH and STATE. There is good, solid reason for this. By doing so we are protected from a CHURCH-RUN STATE. I, for one, am incredibly grateful for that right. And let us not forget, it is also one of the many things that our service-men and women put their lives on the line for. And if you haven’t noticed, in recent years we’ve been involved with some pretty gruesome conflicts in nations that could do well to adopt that same protection! One last thought on this…why is it that only Muslims are called out here? Just wondering…

Regarding the fact that Christians cannot erect religious displays on their holy days…well, I must live on the moon because I can’t even count how many manger scenes I saw last December around town. Once again, I think the issue is getting confused. It is a matter of the separation of Church and State. Do what you want on your property. I saw a 15-foot Santa this year. It made baby Jesus look a little insignificant by comparison, but I guess they didn’t have a giant baby Jesus at the store? I don’t know. In places where our government functions and in our public schools, to name a couple of places, why is it such a problem to honor the separation of church and state? These are places of government and institutions of learning. They are not religious centers…for anyone…not Christians, not Buddhists, not Muslims, not ANYONE.

Tell me again, whose country is this? Ours or the Muslims?

HONESTLY? Is this for real? First of all…I have to assume by the rest of the text here that “Ours” is meant to read “the Christians.” You might want to take a look at some recent statistics on the incredible number of religions currently represented in this country before you start separating the nation in TWO groups. And second…I don’t know how much of American history should play into this, but I’d wager there are quite a few Native Americans who would have a very interesting answer to this particular question!

So it’s “said that 86% of Americans believe in God.” Again, I have to assume the writer was referring solely to the Christian God. Well, I don’t know where this statistic came from and I don’t really care. Let’s just assume it is spot-on. What about the other 14% of Americans? Do their beliefs count for nothing? Should they be chastised in a school room for not standing up to take part in a pledge that discusses a God they do not believe in? Should each of them be reminded each time they purchase food for their families and hand over their money that perhaps they aren’t really welcome members of this so-called melting pot society?

Go ahead, stand up for what you believe. That too, is an American freedom. But think it through first. Consider not just your segment of this country’s population, but the whole country.